Ellie Goulding concert (26 February 2013)

Reviewed on 27 February 2013.
(Apologies for the lack of pictures, my mobile phone camera was too weak to capture much of anything)

~Stripped to the waist, we fall into the river

Yes I fell. We all did. Deeply, totally, undeniably in love with Ellie Goulding and her remarkable voice. Her voice is not like any others, strong yet subtle at times, with the ability to translate the highs and the very highs, all tinged with a breathy raspy edge. Sometimes, it sounds as if she is singing through her throat (especially when she hits the high notes), but that is what I am doing since I lack a singing voice of any sort. I can safely vouch that any vocal effects found in her songs originates from her, with or without help from a synthesizer. I have great admiration for her voice.

Her concert set list is a mix of songs from her latest offering, Halcyon and her debut album Lights. Her songs are delivered album-like, meaning that there is little to almost no changes made for the concert, except for a smattering of drum beats and some rap thrown in here and there for various songs. She also presented two songs that I have not heard before; one of them is “Animals” from her deluxe album Bright Lights (an extended version of Lights) and the other is unknown. The songs were heavy on the drums, lending it an exotic tribal feel.  Goulding lets loose in those songs, banging her head, her platinum blond locks highlighting the rhythm, a raw energy pulsating through the concert hall. She is clearly enjoying herself.

My companion and I did not expect her to hold her concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall; it is much too pristine and grand. It seemed to us that she would be more suited to the environs of Fort Canning or somewhere less plush and cushy. Goulding echoed that sentiment herself, observing that she has never performed on a carpeted stage before and that “it is nice!” This candid observation drew amused laughter from the audience. In between songs Goulding throws in little remarks and thoughts, like how the audience can be so rambunctious yet so quiet at the same time (which is a good thing in her books), or how the rain was the heaviest downpour she has ever seen in her life (it rained heavily before the concert). But her chatter is kept at a minimum; probably she is a little reserved or shy since it is her first time in Singapore after all. But I have no qualms with that, less chatter means more singing.

At the start, Goulding came out, picked up two drumsticks and started banging on a snare drum (with the snares thrown off so that it sounds like a tom-tom) to the beat of “Don’t Say a Word”. Besides her personal drum (placed in front of the stage), she also has a mixer connected to a microphone. At times she will step up to the microphone and synth her voice to produce the famous vocal effects that is synonymous with her songs. It is a simple set up and it is amazing how she managed to bring so much to the concert. I must praise her band. They do double duties; they will play the keyboards or mess around the synthesizers at one point and then deftly change to a bass or acoustic guitar and start strumming. One of the other keyboardists is handling two separate keyboards. They are like Flash, only without the glaring red spandex. Only the drummer remained at his drums; the rock solid foundation of the night. There were also no graphic visuals of any sort, just some colourful lighting effects and a row of strobe lights, used much too much, causing my retinas to hurt and my head to spin.

At one point, Goulding was left alone on the stage with an acoustic guitar, which she used to play “Guns and Horses” from her debut album. Then she serenaded us, accompanied by the piano, with her rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song”, which she dedicated to the audience (not verbalized outwardly but signalled when she pointed at us when singing the sentence “this is your song…”). The audience lapped it all up. In between songs there were bursts of proclamations of love, wild cheers and loads of enthusiastic applause.  This probably warmed Goulding up, and as the concert progresses, she got less stiff and more nimble, getting into the groove, gyrating and dancing to the music. Once again, it is incredible proof that music breaks down barriers and brings people together, just like food. Music is food for the soul I suppose and Goulding is five-star gold (is there a pun there? I couldn't tell).

And the best moment in my humble opinion? Watching her perform “Figure 8” live at the earlier part of the concert; everyone swathed in the red throbbing lights, soaking in her marvellous voice and head-banging to the slick dub step beats, all afloat and on our way to heaven.

Goulding ended the night with a two-song encore, singing “I Need Your Love” first and then bringing down the house with the ever-popular “Lights”. This is the song that brought most of everyone to their feet to dance.

Really, Goulding was the brightest star last night and she can only get brighter.